Abstract
This paper presents an investigation of nanodiamond additives (ND) in combination with copper oxide (CuO) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) particles mixed in PAO (poly-alpha-olefin) oil. The experimentation was performed for a ball on disc configuration using steel/steel contacts in the boundary lubrication regime. The loads were varied from 20 to 100 N and sliding velocity was kept constant at 0.58 m/s. The wear behavior was evaluated using SEM images of the worn-out disc surfaces. EDS analysis of the samples was performed to find out the chemical content of the worn surfaces. Results obtained therein demonstrated that oil containing CuO/ND and h-BN/ND exhibited better frictional and wear characteristics. For CuO/ND containing lubricant, the maximum decrease in friction coefficient is 15.45% in comparison to the CuO oil, whereas for h-BN/ND containing additives the overall decrease is 25.45%. It was observed that the combined effect of CuO/ND and h-BN/ND due to their intrinsic characteristics led to the overall improvement in lubrication properties of the base oil.
Highlights
Over the past few decades, the uses of nanoparticles as lubricant additives have remained an active area of research
This paper presents an investigation of nanodiamond additives (ND) in combination with copper oxide (CuO) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) particles mixed in PAO oil
For the lubricant containing both CuO and ND, some fine grooves can be observed on the wear track suggesting the rolling action of hard diamond nanoparticles (Fig. 8a)
Summary
Over the past few decades, the uses of nanoparticles as lubricant additives have remained an active area of research. The use of nanoparticles in lubricating oils has significantly improved the tribological properties one or the other way This is certainly due to antifriction, antiwear and extreme pressure capabilities of different nanoparticles. The use of nanodiamond as a lubricant additive has gained much attention of researchers due to their significant physical and chemical properties. These include their octagonal shape (almost spherical shape), Appl Nanosci (2017) 7:371–388 high thermal conductivity, high hardness value and above all their environment friendliness.
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